# Minister for Government Services

The Minister for Government Services is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for Services Australia. The current minister is Senator Katy Gallagher, who has held the position since 20 January 2025 following a cabinet reshuffle prompted by the retirement of the previous minister, Bill Shorten.
The portfolio was given its current title in machinery of government changes ordered by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison following the 2019 federal election.

## Scope

In the Government of Australia, the Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers their portfolio through Services Australia and its component bodies:
* Child Support Agency
* Centrelink
* Australian Hearing
* CRS Australia
* Medicare Australia
The Department of Human Services was created on 26 October 2004, as part of the Finance Portfolio, to improve the development and delivery of Government social and health related services to the Australian people.
As a result of the Administrative Arrangements Orders (AAOs) issued on 30 January 2007, the Department of Human Services and its agencies were transferred to a newly created Human Services Portfolio.
The Minister for Government Services provides a central policy and coordination role for the delivery of services across the Portfolio as well as being the delivery agency for child support and vocational rehabilitation services. The AAOs of 25 January 2008 clarified the Department’s responsibility for the development of policy or service delivery, directed at ensuring the effective, innovative, and efficient delivery of Government services. The Department works with other departments and agencies to ensure early consideration of service delivery issues in the policy development process to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of service delivery by agencies in the Human Services Portfolio.

## List of ministers for government services

There was a Minister for Social Services or Social Security continuously from 1939 to 1998, when service delivery was partially privatised and residual functions were transferred to the Minister for Finance and Administration. In 2004, the position of Minister for Human Services was recreated to handle the residual functions; Scott Morrison renamed the portfolio to Government Services in 2019.
The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Government Services, or any precedent titles:
| Order | Minister | Party affiliation | Prime Minister | Ministerial title | Term start | Term end | Term in office |
| 1 | Frederick Stewart | United Australia | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 26 April 1939 | 29 August 1941 | 2 years, 164 days |
| 1 | Frederick Stewart | United Australia | Fadden | Minister for Social Services | 29 August 1941 | 7 October 1941 | 2 years, 164 days |
| 2 | Jack Holloway | Labor | Curtin | Minister for Social Services | 7 October 1941 | 21 September 1943 | 1 year, 349 days |
| 3 | James Fraser | Labor | Curtin | Minister for Social Services | 21 September 1943 | 6 July 1945 | 2 years, 270 days |
| 3 | James Fraser | Labor | Forde | Minister for Social Services | 6 July 1945 | 13 July 1945 | 2 years, 270 days |
| 3 | James Fraser | Labor | Chifley | Minister for Social Services | 13 July 1945 | 18 June 1946 | 2 years, 270 days |
| 4 | Nick McKenna | Labor | Chifley | Minister for Social Services | 18 June 1946 | 19 December 1949 | 3 years, 184 days |
| 5 | Bill Spooner | Liberal | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 19 December 1949 | 11 May 1951 | 1 year, 143 days |
| 6 | Athol Townley | Liberal | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 11 May 1951 | 9 July 1954 | 3 years, 59 days |
| 7 | William McMahon | Liberal | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 9 July 1954 | 28 February 1956 | 1 year, 234 days |
| 8 | Hugh Roberton | Country | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 28 February 1956 | 21 January 1965 | 8 years, 328 days |
| 9 | Reginald Swartz | Liberal | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 21 January 1965 | 22 February 1965 | 32 days |
| 10 | Ian Sinclair | Country | Menzies | Minister for Social Services | 22 February 1965 | 26 January 1966 | 3 years, 6 days |
| 10 | Ian Sinclair | Country | Holt | Minister for Social Services | 26 January 1966 | 19 December 1967 | 3 years, 6 days |
| 10 | Ian Sinclair | Country | McEwen | Minister for Social Services | 19 December 1967 | 10 January 1968 | 3 years, 6 days |
| 10 | Ian Sinclair | Country | Gorton | Minister for Social Services | 10 January 1968 | 28 February 1968 | 3 years, 6 days |
| 11 | Bill Wentworth | Liberal | Gorton | Minister for Social Services | 28 February 1968 | 10 March 1971 | 4 years, 281 days |
| 11 | Bill Wentworth | Liberal | McMahon | Minister for Social Services | 10 March 1971 | 5 December 1972 | 4 years, 281 days |
| 12 | Lance Barnard | Labor | Whitlam | Minister for Social Services | 5 December 1972 | 19 December 1972 | 14 days |
| 13 | Bill Hayden | Labor | Whitlam | Minister for Social Security | 19 December 1972 | 6 June 1975 | 2 years, 169 days |
| 14 | John Wheeldon | Labor | Whitlam | Minister for Social Security | 6 June 1975 | 11 November 1975 | 158 days |
| 15 | Don Chipp | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for Social Security | 12 November 1975 | 22 December 1975 | 40 days |
| 16 | Margaret Guilfoyle | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for Social Security | 22 December 1975 | 3 November 1980 | 4 years, 317 days |
| 17 | Fred Chaney | Liberal | Fraser | Minister for Social Security | 3 November 1980 | 11 March 1983 | 2 years, 128 days |
| 18 | Don Grimes | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Social Security | 11 March 1983 | 13 December 1984 | 1 year, 277 days |
| 19 | Brian Howe | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Social Security | 13 December 1984 | 4 April 1990 | 5 years, 112 days |
| 20 | Graham Richardson | Labor | Hawke | Minister for Social Security | 4 April 1990 | 20 December 1991 | 1 year, 267 days |
| 20 | Graham Richardson | Labor | Keating | Minister for Social Security | 20 December 1991 | 27 December 1991 | 1 year, 267 days |
| 21 | Neal Blewett | Labor | Keating | Minister for Social Security | 27 December 1991 | 24 March 1993 | 1 year, 87 days |
| 22 | Peter Baldwin | Labor | Keating | Minister for Social Security | 24 March 1993 | 11 March 1996 | 2 years, 353 days |
| 23 | Jocelyn Newman | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Social Security | 11 March 1996 | 21 October 1998 | 2 years, 224 days |
| 24 | Joe Hockey | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Human Services | 26 October 2004 | 30 January 2007 | 2 years, 96 days |
| 25 | Ian Campbell | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Human Services | 30 January 2007 | 9 March 2007 | 38 days |
| 26 | Chris Ellison | Liberal | Howard | Minister for Human Services | 9 March 2007 | 3 December 2007 | 269 days |
| 27 | Joe Ludwig | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Human Services | 3 December 2007 | 9 June 2009 | 1 year, 188 days |
| 28 | Chris Bowen | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Human Services | 9 June 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 1 year, 97 days |
| 28 | Chris Bowen | Labor | Gillard | Minister for Human Services | 24 June 2010 | 14 September 2010 | 1 year, 97 days |
| 29 | Tanya Plibersek | Labor | Gillard | Minister for Human Services | 14 September 2010 | 14 December 2011 | 1 year, 91 days |
| 30 | Brendan O'Connor | Labor | Gillard | Minister for Human Services | 14 December 2011 | 5 March 2012 | 82 days |
| 31 | Kim Carr | Labor | Gillard | Minister for Human Services | 5 March 2012 | 23 March 2013 | 1 year, 18 days |
| 32 | Jan McLucas | Labor | Gillard | Minister for Human Services | 23 March 2013 | 27 June 2013 | 179 days |
| 32 | Jan McLucas | Labor | Rudd | Minister for Human Services | 27 June 2013 | 18 September 2013 | 179 days |
| 33 | Marise Payne | Liberal | Abbott | Minister for Human Services | 18 September 2013 | 15 September 2015 | 2 years, 3 days |
| 33 | Marise Payne | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Human Services | 15 September 2015 | 21 September 2015 | 2 years, 3 days |
| 34 | Stuart Robert | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Human Services | 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) | 12 February 2016 (2016-02-12) | 144 days |
| 35 | Alan Tudge | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Human Services | 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) | 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) | 1 year, 305 days |
| 36 | Michael Keenan | Liberal | Turnbull | Minister for Human Services | 20 December 2017 (2017-12-20) | 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24) | 1 year, 160 days |
| 36 | Michael Keenan | Liberal | Morrison | Minister for Human Services | 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24) | 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) | 1 year, 160 days |
| (34) | Stuart Robert | Liberal | Morrison | Minister for Government Services | 29 May 2019 (2019-05-29) | 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) | 1 year, 305 days |
| 37 | Linda Reynolds | Liberal | Morrison | Minister for Government Services | 30 March 2021 (2021-03-30) | 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) | 1 year, 56 days |
| 38 | Bill Shorten | Labor | Albanese | Minister for Government Services | 1 June 2022 (2022-06-01) | 20 January 2025 (2025-01-20) | 2 years, 233 days |
| 39 | Katy Gallagher | Labor | Albanese | Minister for Government Services | 20 January 2025 (2025-01-20) | Incumbent | 1 day |